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7 Terrific Tarns in the Lake District you must visit

Chris Knight

Blea Tarn

Used as the name for a small body of water, the word tarn derives from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning a small mountain lake.

In total there are 197 tarns scattered across the Lake Districts fells.

Visiting them and even going for a quick dip has become a pleasant and less strenuous alternative to Wainwright bagging.

To help narrow down your choice of which of the 197 tarns to visit, I have listed seven of my favourite tarns which are worth visiting.

I’m not going to claim they are the ‘best’ as I haven’t visited all 197, however I do know they are definitely worthy of your time and you won’t be disappointed if you visited them

At a glance:

  • Angle tarn, Patterdale

  • Tarn Hows, Hawkshead

  • Easedale Tarn, Grasmere

  • Blea Tarn, Langdale

  • Red Tarn, Helvellyn

  • Stickle Tarn, Langdale

  • Low Water, Coniston

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Angle Tarn, Patterdale

Described by Alfred Wainwright as 'the best of Lakeland tarns', Angle Tarn is an enchanting glacial lake located high above the village of Patterdale.

Situated at an altitude of 500m, the tarn is enveloped by the Lake Districts majestical mountainous terrain.

The lake itself contains two rocky islands and its shoreline extremely popular with wild campers due to its sheltered location and picturesque views.

I wild camped there in the Autumn of 2020, and was treated to a splendid evening of an incredible sunset before being able to capture the Milky Way above its shores.

In fact there must have been at least a dozen tents scattered around the lakes large undulating shoreline

Parking is available in front of the Patterdale Hotel (£4 for 24 hours) where you can also find toilets.

From here it’s a 4km hike, involving 360m of elevation gain up to the Tarn. On the way up you will be treated to terrific views over both Ullswater and Brotherswater.

An OS Map of the hike can be found here.

Tarn Hows, Hawkshead

Situated in the low-level hills between villages of Coniston and Hawkshead, Tarn Hows is one of the most visited and easily accessible tarns in Lakeland. 

Once owned by children’s author Beatrix Potter, the area is a series of tranquil lakes surrounded by beautiful countryside and a thick conifer woodland.

Encircling the Tarn is a 1.5-mile wheelchair friendly path which is perfect for people of all ages and abilities.

On route there are several viewpoints which offer mountain views towards the Helvellyn range and the Langdale Pikes

A large National Trust car park is available at its southern shores, with 2 hours parking costing £5 and all-day costing £7.50 From the car park, you simply have to cross the road to begin the walk.

As it is one of the most popular spots in the Lake District I would recommend heading here in the early morning or the late afternoon to beat the crowds.

Blea Tarn, Langdale

Situated in a hanging valley between Little and Greater Langdale, Blea Tarn is a small but tranquil body of water surrounded by craggy fells.

Alongside being one of the most accessible tarns in Lakeland, its also one of the most beautiful.

The mountain lake is extremely popular with landscape photographers due to the mirror-like reflections it produces of the Langdale Pikes.

It’s also a great location for stargazing and astrophotography due to its ease of access and dark sky location.

A National trust car park is situated opposite the tarn and is £3 for 2 hours or £5 for all day. Once at the car park you simply cross the road and descend the wheelchair friendly path for 200m until you reach the shoreline.

Both single-track roads which lead up to the car park are a 20% gradient, so some clutch control may be required.

I'd recommend heading to Blea Tarn shortly after sunrise in order to enjoy it's full beauty.

I visited the lake on a windless morning and witnessed the surrounding fells captured within the lake's mirror like reflections, it was a morning like no other

Easedale Tarn, Grasmere

  • Best for: Wild Swimmers

  • What three words location: quits.cultivation.offstage

  • Parking: Grasmere

  • Distance to Tarn: 7km round trip

  • Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

  • Facilities: Toilets and a cafes located in Grasmere

Easedale tarn is situated outside the village of Grasmere in a hanging valley surrounded by an amphitheatre of craggy fells.

The peaceful lake is easily reached via a two mile hike (one way) involving just over 200m of elevation gain, and is a perfect choice for families.

The well signposted route begins in the gorgeous village of Grasmere, where you will find several pay and display car parks, and follows a well-maintained and scenic path up to the Tarn.

On route you will pass through farmland, cross several stone bridges, and walk alongside the plunging falls of Sour Milk Gill, an impressive waterfall with several cascades. 

Upon reaching the tarn you have the option of extending your walk by taking the 2km stroll around the lake’s shoreline.

Wild swimming is extremely popular here and you’ll regularly find neoprene clad aquaholics on its rocky shores.

Before you set off make sure you stop by the delectable Lucia Bakehouse and treat yourself to one (or three) of the best sausage rolls in the Lake District.

Red Tarn, Helvellyn

  • Best for: Mountain views

  • What three words location: obligated.poppy.spells

  • Parking: Glenridding car park

  • Distance to Tarn: 9km round trip

  • Difficulty: Moderate/Hard

  • Facilities: Toilets and a cafes located in Glenridding

Situated in a chair shaped hollow beneath the summit of Helvellyn and flanked by two towering ridgelines, Red tarn has be one of the most dramatic in the Lake District.

At an altitude of 817m the tarn is also the highest substantial body of water in the Lake District and one of the highest in England.

Although there are several routes to the tarn, the easiest and shortest begins from the large pay and display car park in the village of Glenridding. The hike is 4.5km one way and involves 560m of elevation gain.

I would also recommend stopping by Helvellyn Café in Glenridding for some hearty food after your dip.

For the adventurous and sure-footed amongst you consider combining this hike with a classic loop of Helvellyn, ascending via striding edge then descending via swirral edge, stopping for a dip in Red Tan on the way back down.

This 12km hike is very strenuous and does involve some scrambling whilst traversing two ridges. It should take between 4-6 hours so make sure you have adequate and warm clothing alongside taking plenty of water.

Stickle Tarn, Langdale

Stickle Tarn is another tranquil mountain lake situated in the Langdale valley.

At an elevation of 500m, the tarn sits in a wide mountainous bowl beneath the peaks of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle and offers glorious views back down the Langdale Valley towards Lake Windermere. 

Situated next to the National Trust car park is the Sticklebarn Pub. Owned and run by the National Trust the pub serves a wide range of delicious food and local beers, making it the perfect place to end (or start) your hike.

The route follows a well-built path on the east side of Stickle Ghyll - A ghyll is a northern English term for a narrow mountain stream - for one mile up to Stickle Tarn. 

The path is not technical but does get relatively steep in places, gaining 370m in elevation in just under a mile.

The trade-off is that there are half a dozen wonderful waterfalls on route which provide a great excuse to stop for a breather.

For those with a little more energy in the legs, I would recommend continuing the hike up to Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle to get magnificent panoramic views of the southern and western Fells.

The 3km loop adds a further 250m of elevation gain and should take just over an hour.  

An OS Map of the route can be found here.

Low Water, Coniston

Low Water is a spectacular corrie tarn surround on three sides by the craggy peaks of the Old Man of Coniston and Brim Fell.

Situated at at height of 1,795ft, the tarn is now entirely natural, although in the past it has been raised by a dam to provide water for the quarries below.

The most spectacular view of Low Water is from the summits above, with the ridge between the Old Man and Brim Fell providing the best viewing point.

Parking is available at Walna Scar Car Park and you can reach the tarn by walking up through the ruins of the Coniston slate mines, so make sure to add some extra time to reach this tarn in order to allow you to explore the historic ruins.

If you want two tarns for the price of one, Low Water can also be visited as a loop visiting Goats Water which sits on the other side of the Coniston summit. The route can be found here.

Goats Water

So there we have it, 7 must visit Tarns in the Lake District.

If had to pick a favourite from the seven it would Blea Tarn closely followed by Angle Tarn.

One thing to note, each of these tarns are perfectly suited for a wild swim, so don’t forget to pack some swimmers and a towel.

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You can find more Lake District inspiration in the following blogs,

For more Welsh travel inspiration check out my in-depth guides to each of my favourite Welsh regions below.

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